ELI5- Why is an iv drip so much better than drinking water?
In: Biology
It typically isn’t. Running an IV can be a vector of infection. If doctors can get fluids in you other ways, they probably would. IVs do have some advantages though. And if they need to run it for one reason, they can leave the IV in to run it for others with minimal increased risk of infection.
An IV is a very controlled form of delivering whatever the doctor needs to your bloodstream. They can control not only what goes in, but at what speed. By bypassing the stomach, there is no risk of the patient vomiting it up. It also bypasses the liver, which anything taken orally must pass through before circulating to the rest of the body. This typically greatly reduces whatever medicine a doctor is trying to deliver to your system since your liver will try to convert it into something non-reactive.
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